Nintendo Switch version - My first impressions

[PrincessAutumn]

First off, if this doesn't belong here then my bad, I couldn't find another appropriate place to put this topic 

When The Long Dark came out on the Nintendo Switch the other day, I was ecstatic as now I could play at work when I was on a lunch break. I instantly went to the Nintendo shop to download it. Got it downloaded last night and as a PC player that's used to using a keyboard and mouse, the controls really took some getting used to but that's all on me. Game looks as crisp and smooth on my switch as it does on my PC and I love it. I have yet to try it on my TV in the living room so I have a bigger screen to play on but someone is always watching something so I have to wait for my chance lol. Also no bugs, glitches or any other issues as far as I could tell  

Thank you Hinterland and well done!

[PurpleWolf13]

Don't worry about not being used to the controls first thing! You have played primarily (I guess) with a mouse and keyboard and learning a controller is something else. If I got a gaming computer and begun playing on it, I would be a MESS at using a mouse and keyboard 😅 because I am so used to a PS4 controller!

And General Discussion is the perfect place for this topic

[Nervous Pete]

Hey PrincessAutumn! 

Reassured by your words I took the plunge and bought the Switch version as well, though I'm not sure how much time I'd actually be able to get in on a lunch break!  I'm primarily a PC gamer so it's going to take me time to adjust, I can tell, but as I like to give hostile wildlife a very wide berth most times I don't think I'll be too challenged on the aiming mechanics yet. I am thinking it'd be very nice to dig out the Long Dark on the Switch outside and chill out in the cool evening with the breeze on my face and let me just pick up these sticks and OH GOD IS THAT A BEAR WHY IS THERE A BEAR HERE IN WALES OH GOD ARGLEBARGLEOHTHEHUMANITY....!

[Nervous Pete]

Seriously though, I had thought of making a thread for my own First Impressions but then figured yours is the perfect one to drop in on. So, after five hours play. and seven days into a Voyageur run on my favourite map, Pleasant Valley, here are my thoughts...

It's still The Long Dark, through and through. At first I was a bit worried there'd be too much in the way of graphical compromises but aside from some shimmering telephone wires and the odd pop-up hummock now and again shifting shape too close for comfort, it completely allows you to sink into that art-style once again and become convinced you're trudging about in a snowy wilderness. The frame-rate is super-smooth so absolutely no complaints from me on that front. I also think loading times and eminently reasonable. Sure, they're about five times longer than on my SSD 32GB ram PC, but to be honest I usually need that ten to fifteen seconds to catch my breath after haring indoors from the slathering pursuit of a wolf. The text and the UI is crisp and sharp and very readable whilst remaining as discrete as the PC version. The food and clothes textures are a bit low-resolution, but it still fits very well within the game style and I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same ones from a fair few PC updates ago before they upgraded all the item textures. Those old textures worked fine for me in the early days of The Long Dark and they continue to do so here. I don't think there is quite as much fancy shader work going on with those glorious sunsets as the PC version, but they're still amply enough to stop me in my tracks and spend a few minutes watching them to that beautiful melancholy twangy guitar. 

Speaking of which the sound is as alternately beautiful and terrifying as ever. There is zero appreciable difference from the PC version, which is nice as in my opinion The Long Dark has the best soundscape in any game I've ever played. 

The control layouts seem logical, and I love the fact that the arrow pad is a quick draw shortcut for the snappy deployment of flares, guns, decoys and such. Movement still feels natural in game, though I still keep getting my bumper and trigger functions mixed up in my mind. That will come with time though. A rebind option would be nice, but I can't think of a much improved layout offhand. 

Are there issues? There are a few. Some fixable, others inherent. Using a handheld device I'm finding it a bit trickier to spot hostile wildlife. At mid-range a wolf can look like a little ant crawling across the landscape, in the distance a shimmering speck. This is a natural issue with the screen real estate and lower resolution we're dealing with here, but an option might be to just tweak the wolves detection ranges a little for the Switch so that they're a little more forgiving and there's less chance of them spotting you before you spot them. What is a bit more of an issue is gun-play. The use of a rifle is punishingly difficult when you start off sans rifle skills, and you get to only raise it to your shoulder for a few precious seconds before you have to lower it again, panting. This isn't so bad using mouse and keyboard but with analogue sticks it really isn't long enough to have much of a chance drawing a bead. Another problem is that the gun sight notch is a hare too large for the Switch, so frequently the animal gets lost under it and it becomes harder to judge your accuracy. I'll probably get more used to it in time, but it is proving difficult for me. It's absolutely not a game-breaker though, and I am still having a great time. Picking up sticks and rabbits is more of a faff for me too, and I feel the crosshair could be a bit more forgiving - especially for grabbing rabbits. 

But still, it's great. I woke up in Pleasant Valley, hiked down to the farm and rifled through the drawers and cupboards of its dusy innards. I hiked up to the radio hut and burgled it senseless, looking over my shoulder every moment in case a wolf or bear loped up over the crest. Caught my breath watching a beautiful sunrise from the ridge outside the hut, and then back down, eyeing a bear suspiciously that was snuffling its way through the orchard, giving it as wide a berth as possible. The third day I realised there was a rifle under the bed. The fourth day I stepped out onto the porch and hands trembling - in real life as well as in game - I took the shot. I couldn't tell if I hit or not but it flew at me like greased furry lighting. I snapped off another shot and then it was on me, tooth and claw as I was desperately backing up to the porch door. I staggered away, shreds of health left, and the bear loped off. Back indoors I bandaged up. My character kept on shuddering under her breath for the next fifteen minutes, echoing my own real life feelings admirably. A short sleep later and found the bear dead next to the car. Quartered and lugged the carcass home, shoved the bits in the fridge and slept an exhausted, troubled sleep. 

The next day I spent around eighteen hours cooking bear steaks on the fire. The aurora swept in at four in the morning. I celebrated my survival with a bear stake, a cup of tea and some light classical music on the radio, trying not to feel unnerved at all the flickering lights.

I'm still in love with this game. I don't know how Story Mode will fare on the Switch, but so far Survival despite the graphical downgrade and the finickiness of the aiming is as every bit immersive and as good as its bigger PC brethren. 

So congratulations to both Hinterland and the team who handled the conversion. Great work, and I look forward in the future to surviving the wild, outdoors in the wild.    

 

[markwars1972]

I love 99.9% of everything about this port.  The only issue is aiming.  Whether it be a rock, bow, revolver or rifle the right stick is just way too sensitive when playing it handheld - which is why I wanted it in the first place.   If the sensitivity of the right sticks movement could be toned way down once we are actively aiming it would be a huge improvement.  As it is right now it's a great game for everything except aiming - which as you know is kind of essential after your first few days.

[odizzido]

As someone who has actually spent a fair amount of time playing with a controller(RE4 on PS2 mostly) you can get okay. You will never be good though, it's impossible. Still, it's pretty cool that we can play games like this on tiny devices these days. Hats off to all the clever scientists and engineers who have made it possible to build such ridiculously tiny things so that we can virtually freeze to death in a blizzard on a handheld device.

[Cure]

I’ve played the switch version about 25 hours now and it’s a delight. I’m completely impressed by how smoothly everything runs in survival. I play the Long Dark rocking my daughter to sleep or sitting in my recliner with headphones the only light in the room being my Switch. It’s fun to experience it in different ways and have the versatility.
 

I will say the shooting is noticeably difficult at first. I’ve only played Xbox and it feels finicky even compared to that controller. It does have the motion control aiming which does seem to be easier in docked and once you get the hang out that with a sensitivity setting that works for you ... it starts to feel really good.